A painfully honest truth about the here & now
What better time to start blogging than in the midst of a global pandemic & suggested self isolation?
I have so many baking stories to share with you that I can’t wait to get to get started. The first is the story of how this current lockdown situation might ruin my business & my mind.
27th March: I had to laugh, not only because it’s a boost for the highly struggling mental health but because it took just 4 days to lose 6k worth of work - nothing else to do but laugh.
So I thought…
Turns out there are lots of things to do. I’ve always been one to look for positives, solutions, thinking outside the box. My mind should have been on overdrive but truth be told it imploded into it’s own little cave, the same cave as so many - where your days are spent trying to stay safe & keep your head above the fear, feeling scared, upset, angry, confused, then occasionally hopeful or positive, even, about the uncertain future. Amidst these days I was mostly unproductive, avoiding making decisions about business. I was only doing essential updates & occasional image uploads of cakes ‘that I made earlier’ to try to keep interest from you guys!
I’m one of the lucky ones, my customers & wholesale client have been lovely, offering to be flexible like I am for them too. Wedding dates painfully & calmly postponed, big celebrations on hold until who knows when.
Lets talk money - I’ve been living off my savings since I started this business in 2017 so not having enough income to cover my bills is no shock to me. The daunting part is not knowing how long my savings need to last. I have barely made minimum wage on most commissions but my passion is strong. The growth from last year, with some small adjustments this year added in looked like this would be the first time I would have a decent wage & stop eating into my savings. I keep having to think ‘it’s just on hold’ life on hold. I hope I can come out of the other side & continue where I left off. Since this time last year, I used to be fully booked for 6 weeks in advance, now in the middle of a 12 week cake drought & desperately looking forward to that government help of £30 a week as a self employed person (no I didn’t miss a zero off there).
Lets gossip about customers - I have had lovely words, so apologetic for cancelling, so appreciative of time already spent on designing their cakes & the admin for it, so grateful when I can transfer their wedding date at no extra cost. It’s neither of our faults & we’re doing the best we can to compromise so neither person loses out. I really appreciate everyone’s kind words, thank you, it helps me through this tough time.
Back to the future - As we all look at a new way of life, adaption & moving forwards with a different sense of awareness, it’s hard to know what to do or when to do it. I await government announcements, hoping it clarifies what I should do next. I am slowly seeing others return to work under new formats & regulations & wonder - when will it be the right time for me? The bakery is currently at my Mum’s house so I have been unable to access it for a while. I think flexibility will be key. I’m a great baker of all things, including the yummy cakes you know so well. Maybe a weekly bake box should be on the cards, with breads, pastries, cakes, brownies, biccies & meringues? Maybe I should focus on a range of small cakes, perfect for stay at home celebrations? Maybe I should go back to working in large scale bakeries?
Either way, I must keep baking, it is a part of my soul that I need to nurture. I must carry on, we all must, in our own ways. Hoping this is short lived, that we’ve broken the back of this Coronavirus or Covid-19 pandemic.
I hope I get to bake my next wedding cake in July & start delivering to my beloved Phoenix cinema again.
A little present - I don’t want to moan much, I know so many have got it much worse & I’m so grateful that my family & friends are doing ok at the moment & hope they stay strong & healthy. For now, we’ll focus on moving the bakery to where I live & bring you updates on that exciting new chapter. That focus, that hope is keeping me sane. It will be a gift to be creating from home, a little bit safer, a flicker of excitement on this drab day that one day better times are coming.
